Quality properties and formation of α-dicarbonyl compounds in abalone muscle (Haliotis discus) as affected by tenderization and baking processes

Abstract

Abalone is one of the most valuable seafood products and the quality of ready-to-eat abalone products could be improved through tenderization treatments prior to a fully cooking process. In this study, a tenderization process (80 °C for 2 h) was applied to improve the quality properties of baked abalone muscle for the developing of ready-to-eat products. The quality properties of baked abalone (150–210 °C, 10–30 min) with and without pre-tenderization treatment prior to baking were evaluated through sensory evaluation, textural analysis and Hunter Lab colorimeter. In addition, amounts of sugars and α-dicarbonyl compounds in these products were determined via HPLC analyses. The baking condition at 180 °C for 20 min combined with pre-tenderization resulted in an optimal product. The baked abalone with pre-tenderization had better textural properties (hardness, 1031.12 ± 101.67; springiness, 0.96 ± 0.02; chewiness, 817.13 ± 113.43; shear, 2843.92 ± 35.67), sensory scores (30.1 ± 2.9) and color (25.28 ± 1.21) as compared to the baked abalone without pre-tenderization (hardness, 1990.91 ± 252.35; springiness, 0.87 ± 0.01; chewiness, 1164.43 ± 195.64; shear, 3910.79 ± 302.12; sensory score, 17.4 ± 1.0; color, 15.91 ± 0.74). The reducing sugar analysis indicated the presence of ribose and glucose in the baked abalone. In addition, the formation of α-dicarbonyl compounds (degraded from reducing sugars) including glucosone, 3-deoxyglucosone, glyoxal, methylglyoxal, and diacetyl were significantly promoted by the tenderization process in the baked abalone muscle. And the tenderization treatment led to an average of 218% increase in α-dicarbonyl compounds in the baked abalone muscle. The promotion of the formation of α-dicarbonyl compounds by the tenderization treatment contributed to the accumulation of pigments in the final baked products and led to desirable color.